It all disappeared for Indiana at a slow, agonizing pace—the 17-point lead with 19:10 left, the Big Ten Tournament and perhaps the repeat NCAA Tournament at-large bid the Hoosiers spent the last six months working toward.
Gone.
Whether the No. 4 Hoosiers collapsed in defeat or the No. 5 Boilermakers conducted a masterful comeback in a 66-60 Purdue victory in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal is up to interpretation. So are the implications for the rest of IU’s postseason fate.
“I don't know," IU head coach Teri Moren said when asked point blank if her team was good enough to play in the NCAA Tournament.
"I hope."
Indiana met one final time as a team at center court of Bankerslife Fieldhouse before beginning the slow walk off the floor and into the locker rooms in defeat. Purdue players surrounded the huddle in celebration of their most dramatic comeback victory of the season.
Moren’s postgame message was short. There wasn’t much to say after being bounced as the No. 4 seed for a second season in a row.
This one hurts, and the Hoosiers know it.
“We just didn’t make enough plays when it mattered,” senior center Jenn Anderson said.
Purdue advanced to the conference tournament semifinals for the 15th time in program history and the first time since 2013 in dramatic fashion. The Boilermakers outscored the Hoosiers 42-21 in the second half to close a 15-point halftime deficit.
Indiana was able to withstand seemingly every Purdue push until senior guard Andreona Keys scooped in a layup in transition with just 89 seconds left that gave the Boilermakers a 56-55 lead. It was the team’s first advantage since going up two points just 61 seconds into the first quarter.
Indiana went to Anderson to try and regain the lead in the post, but she was called for an offensive foul that turned the ball over with 64 seconds left. Purdue freshman guard Dominique Oden made IU pay on the other end, nailing her fifth 3-pointer in eight tries to give the Boilermakers a four-point lead they’d never give up.
“It’s definitely a tail of two halves,” Purdue head coach Sharon Versyp said. “The first half they just kicked us in every category. And at halftime we just talked about games that we’ve been in before and we have an opportunity to change what we need to do. We made adjustments defensively.”
Those adjustments were mostly made to confuse Indiana’s guards, particularly junior point guard Tyra Buss. Purdue dropped its 2-3 zone and began switching defensively with everyone except the center.
As a result, Indiana couldn’t penetrate the lane and open up easy looks. Time and time again, the offensive set ended after 20 seconds or so of Buss dribbling on the perimeter before settling for a low-percentage shot.
IU managed just six points in the third quarter against Purdue’s 19 and then 15 against the Boilermakers’ 23.
Buss poured in a team-high 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, junior forward Amanda Cahill finished with 14 points and 13 boards and senior wing Alexis Gassion tallied 14 points and 13 rebounds.
But it wasn’t enough, especially when IU turns it over 15 times.
"We got the shots. We just didn't hit them," Moren said. "That's the frustrating thing. They got us out of rhythm."
As the media gathered inside Indiana’s locker room postgame, many of the players sat buried in their lockers. Heads were down. Their answers to questions about the collapse just minute before were soft but thoughtful.
As the room cleared, nobody hurried to get out of place. There was no sign of rush.
The Hoosiers began the day in control of their own future, but now they’re at the liberty of NCAA Tournament bubble teams scattered across the country. They’ve got one lone win over an opponent in the RPI top-50—a 72-61 home win over No. 20 Michigan—but nothing else particularly strong.
Now begins the week-and-a-half wait for Selection Monday on March 13.
“It’s all wait and see now,” Anderson said. “You never know with the postseason.”
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